Unrivalled Regency: A Gallant Gamble Part 15

"I don't give a cuss for the blasted diamond. They can all have it, and much good it will do them as no one wants to buy it. It's a fabulous but useless bauble worth nothing until it can be sold. They are welcome to it. It's Charlotte who I am worried about. If Rookwood has gambled as you say, he will do anything to stop her. He'll kill her. I have to go after them." He stood quickly, but almost fell as pain and nausea hit him.

Alexander moved forwards quickly to steady his friend.

"Geoff, you can't go after them. Apart from the fact that you are still almost too weak to walk, we don't have another horse good enough to catch them. Davenport says that there are stewards on the course. So long as she remains behind Rookwood there won't be a problem."

Geoffrey let out a short, painful laugh as he looked his friends in the eye.

"And you can see her letting him win without a fight, can you? When did Charlotte ever let anyone win a d.a.m.ned thing? She'll be sitting right on his tail until she can see a chance and then she'll make her move, but we have no idea what Vanquish will do. He's never been tested in a compet.i.tion. We don't know his weak spots, if he even has any. The horse is enormous and he's a fighter. Lightning has been gently bred. He won't stand a chance if that animal gets near him."

Giles guided them back out into the sunlight. The clock on the church tower struck the quarter hour.

"Well we won't have long to wait to discover the outcome. It will all be over any minute. We had best go back to the winning line. If Lightning is first over the line, we may well have to take action to protect her."

Geoffrey gasped.

"Rookwood wouldn't dare do anything in front of the Prince, surely. The man would go as far as to embarra.s.s royalty? It would surely do far more than empty his purse. He could lose his t.i.tle."

Alexander strode ahead of them.

"Blow his blasted t.i.tle! If that horse is as bad as you say and he loses control of it, he could not only kill your wife but lose his own worthless life as well...But perhaps we are mistaken. Let's hope that the foolish woman has merely taken Lightning out for an afternoon jaunt." He turned his head slightly as a slow roar of excitement built in the crowds gathered along the tree lined lane at the back of the stables. The horses were nearly home.

Geoffrey pushed through the throng just in time to see the leading horses pa.s.s by him. The ma.s.sive Vanquish appeared to be a length ahead, but a big dappled horse looked to be hard on his heels. Geoffrey peered into the shadows as the horses galloped on past. Both riders were sitting forwards close to their mount's necks, but Geoffrey didn't have to look twice. He'd seen Charlotte ride Lightning over the sands near Ormond all too often. He groaned inwardly as Giles and Alexander paled beside him. They all would have recognized that breeches covered backside anywhere. All three men turned as one and hurried towards the grand terrace where the Prince sat in the front row.

She'd never felt so exhausted in all her life. The fences had been daunting, but after the first shock of seeing how high they were going to have to leap, she had narrowed her eyes, squeezed her thighs around her horse and had let him fly at the barrier.

The exhilaration as they soared through the air together was something she could barely describe, but the fifteen fences since had put the thrill and her delight back into its proper place. Her hands strained to hold onto the reins as Lightning galloped on boldly. His stride had barely altered from when they had started the race and Charlotte wasn't ready to push him yet, but with three more of the terrifying fences to go, she wasn't sure how wise she had been to smuggle the pair of them into the race.

It had felt like her only option at the time. Giles had just informed her of the strict rules. Neither horse and rider could be subst.i.tuted or changed. If your name appeared in Lord Davenport's register, that was who would ride the animal stated.

Her heart had sunk as she thought of her failed scheme of revenge for Geoffrey's injuries and the several bets she had placed with various friends of Lord Rookwood, tempting them to gamble their all for a chance at the fabled Caithwell diamond. Geoffrey deserved some kind of retribution from those who had sought to kill him. She couldn't leave it and give up.

She had demanded to see the register, had wept over the evidence of Geoffrey's signature, and had then blinked as a miracle happened before her very eyes. She had closed the book quickly and gone straight to her room. Everything had been prepared. All she had to do was to enter the race and win.

Now, as she followed a whole length behind her enemy, she was beginning to see some flaws in her plan. Vanquish hadn't put a foot wrong the whole race. Rookwood had turned in his seat several times to take note of the rest of the field galloping at his heels. Twice he had grinned lecherously at her. Three times he had deliberately blocked her path. She'd dropped back a few strides since the last time, but she couldn't afford to wait much longer.

Her concentration slipped and she felt Lightning's hesitancy between her thighs. She focused on the horse and rider in front of her and leaned forwards to whisper words of encouragement into Lightning's soft and receptive ear.

Geoffrey gazed down the track and squinted into the sunlight. He could see a cloud of dust forming in the distance but had no idea who now took the lead. There was still one more fence to master, and the home straight to run before anyone could be declared the victor. The swirling dust cloud came closer and his heart almost pounded out of his chest as it neared them, but with the last fence in the way, he still couldn't make out who was in first place.

And then he heard it. The crowd further down the course began chanting out two names. Vanquis.h.!.+ Lightning! The Prince leapt to his feet, upsetting one of the ladies with whom he sat, as he bounced on his toes in excitement. The crowd's roar became louder, the air filling with their shouts. Ladies waved their ribbons while the men threw their handkerchiefs into the air.

The horses approached the last huge fence. The black head of Vanquish rose first with the sooted, grey face of Lightning just behind. Geoffrey closed his eyes and couldn't look as both horses fought their way over the high wall of sticks and bracken. He opened them just in time to see Vanquish's feet touch the ground and skid in the soft earth, forcing Lightning to take an awkward leap sideways. Rookwood raised his arm high, whip in hand, and thrashed it down on his mount's rear. Vanquish screamed, eyes rolling wildly as he raced forwards once again.

Giles bellowed something at Geoffrey and pointed down the field, but his words were lost in the sound of the yelling spectators. Alexander cut a path towards the Prince, furious with Rookwood's treatment of a defenceless animal. The way parted in front of him, his height and presence giving him an advantage over lesser men and Geoffrey and Giles followed close behind. Ten paces from the Prince, they were stopped by the Regent's personal guard. Alexander yelled in the guard's ear, but the man simply stared straight ahead and refused to move from his position.

The shouts surrounding them became deafening. The three of them turned as one and watched the sweating horses thundering up towards the finish line. Vanquish looked to have the race. Lord Rookwood's evil grin split his face moments before the small figure on Lightning's back leaned down and rubbed the horse gently on his neck. Lightning responded instantly. He leapt forwards in three giant strides and moved to the front.

Geoffrey saw what happened next as if the whole world had slowed to a crawl. Rookwood's grin vanished immediately to be replaced by a determined scowl as he leaned forwards on his mount. Standing in the stirrups, he lifted his riding crop, leaned sideways from his saddle and brought down a stinging blow down on Lightning's flank. Lightning screamed in terror and pain then stumbled and swerved, his rump hitting Vanquish's shoulder as he made for the finish line. The crowd gasped as one as Vanquish reared up, dug his heels into the earth and stopped dead, sending a surprised Rookwood flying over his head.

In the chaos that followed, Geoffrey couldn't possibly have heard the crunch of the man's breaking neck, but he felt it through to his own bones as Rookwood's body flopped onto the earth. Lightning crossed over the finish line and his diminutive rider began pulling him up, turning in her seat as she stared back at the lifeless form lying on the gra.s.s. It was only then that she let out a scream. Geoffrey saw Charlotte's mouth fall open and her blue eyes widen. He followed her horrified gaze and before he could even think about what he was doing, he charged forwards, elbows working hard as he knocked down spectators and leapt over the rope that separated the crowd from their Prince.

He beat Vanquish to the Royal dais by a second. The furious horse had charged on after throwing his rider so spectacularly and now he reared up, deadly hooves thras.h.i.+ng above the top of the royal head. The giant horse's feet came cras.h.i.+ng down, one glancing off Geoffrey's shoulder, nearly felling him to the ground, and the other missing his head by inches. Geoffrey ignored the pain in his arm and caught hold of the enraged horse's dangling reins as he heard Charlotte screaming out his name. The enraged animal went up again and Geoffrey felt his feet almost come off the ground, but he held on hard and refused to let Vanquish have his way.

Vanquish's huge hooves dropped a hair's breadth from Geoffrey's boots and he quickly shortened the reins, planted his feet securely on the ground and stopped the horse from rearing up again. Vanquish snorted violently at his captor, his eyes rolling in their sockets as pandemonium broke out in the crowd. Several raced towards the fallen Lord Rookwood while others took cover from the rest of the field now thundering up the home straight.

Charlotte glanced at the petrified Prince before she leapt from Lightning, threw his reins to Giles, and ran with Alexander to Geoffrey's aid.

It was some minutes before the crowd had calmed, the Prince had pressed his wig back into place and Vanquish stood quietly under Geoffrey's control as though he were no more dangerous than a newborn kitten. The shocked Prince looked slightly like a goldfish as his mouth opened and closed in astonishment. He took a few seconds to recover his composure. When he could finally speak, his words were a shocked whisper as he stared in wonder at Geoffrey.

"Dear G.o.d alive! The animal is completely mad! Geoffrey Talbot, you have saved the life of your sovereign. That horse was about to kill me." He remained fl.u.s.tered for a few moments before speaking again. "Have no fear, your gallantry and bravery will not go unrewarded, but for the moment we have to see to the dead man before we declare our winner." He waved his hand at his men and they set about carrying Lord Rookwood from the field.

Calm soon returned to the terrace as Olivia moved through the crush aiding swooning ladies. Alexander went to speak to the elder Lord Rookwood, who looked about to collapse at the shock of seeing his eldest son not only cheat so diabolically but also die so ignominiously.

Charlotte looked up at her husband and felt fear far greater than she had on the racecourse. Geoffrey's silver eyes looked her up and down. Her cap had turned askew on her head and he frowned darkly as the tendrils of blonde escaped their confines. She was about to speak to him, to beg his forgiveness for her foolish display, when Vanquish snorted at his prolonged inactivity.

Geoffrey pulled in a breath, closed his eyes briefly, and then gave his full attention to the animal in his care. The horse looked as docile as an aging donkey. He pulled on the reins and guided the beast back out onto the course, walking him slowly to cool the animal's heated muscles before they made their way back to the stables. Berating Charlotte for her outrageous behaviour would have to wait.

She didn't see his lips curl in the slightest smile as she took Lightning's reins back from Giles and followed meekly behind her husband, her gaze upon the ground as she waited for his evident wrath to fall upon her head.

Chapter Twelve.

Winners, Losers & Lady Luck Lord Davenport stood upon the dais looking out over the gathered crowd. The Prince stood beside him, his expression grim. The people below them fell silent.

"Today's event has been marred by death, but regardless of the sorrow we feel for Lord Rookwood and his family, we must declare our winner, but before we do, His Majesty would like to say a few words." Lord Davenport stepped back as the Prince came forwards. He stood silently for a few moments before he began speaking.

"My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen, we have witnessed a tragic event today, one for which I hold myself partly responsible, however we also saw an act of selfless bravery that happened to save my very own life. In view of this incredible service done to me, I would like Mr. Geoffrey Talbot to step forwards."

The crowd began muttering to one another. Some of them had seen the incident but many had not. People craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the hero in their midst and jostled forwards to gain a better view.

Giles shrugged at Alexander. Geoffrey hadn't returned from the stables.

"Where is he?" Alexander whispered loudly.

Giles shook his head.

"He went to stable Vanquish. Charlotte took Lightning and went along with him."

Alexander rolled his eyes and beckoned to one of the servants. With instructions to fetch Geoffrey from the stables, the man trotted off while Alexander went to explain to the Prince. It was some few minutes before Geoffrey appeared at the edge of the dais with his wife, still dressed in her s.h.i.+rt and breeches, her hat askew on her head. He glowered at her, daring her to move an inch before he let her hand go and climbed the steps to greet the Prince.

He bowed low.

"I beg your pardon, Your Majesty. I had to take care of a troubling irritation." Geoffrey scowled down as Charlotte let out an undignified snort.

The Prince nodded.

"Yes, I saw you taking that d.a.m.nable animal away. I want the thing shot. I take it that you will see my wishes carried out."

Geoffrey drew in a sharp breath.

"I beg that you don't destroy the animal, Your Majesty. It is not his fault that he needs training. I would be delighted to take him off your hands rather than see him sold as dog meat."

The Prince raised a surprised eyebrow.

"You would care for an animal who dared to attempt killing me? It's an outrage!" The Prince's face began to turn red.

Geoffrey shook his head quickly.

"Not at all, but you have to admit that the horse may not have recognized you as his Sovereign. Horses are not known for their intelligence." He rolled his eyes at Charlotte's stifled laugh.

The Prince narrowed his eyes and pondered Geoffrey's suggestion before he waved his hand dismissively.

"As you will. I'll have transfer papers drawn up."

Geoffrey bowed again and was about to leave the platform when the Prince spoke up again.

"I have not done with you yet, Talbot. There is the small matter of your saving my life. It was a gallant thing that you did, one for which I am sorely grateful. You will be rewarded. Kneel before me."

Geoffrey glanced about him as though looking for some escape. He pointed his own finger towards his chest and the Prince nodded once. Geoffrey dropped down on one knee, feeling horribly self conscious and slightly foolish. He didn't like the thought of begging for some small favour of the Prince. He didn't want anything from the man at all.

The Prince stepped forwards and held out his hand to his guard. The uniformed man handed over his sword and the Prince touched it lightly to Geoffrey's shoulder.

"I award you this knighthood in recognition of your unrivalled gallantry while serving your Sovereign. Arise Sir Geoffrey."

Geoffrey nearly fell over in surprise. He staggered to his feet as the crowd applauded and shouted their congratulations. The Prince then leaned forwards and, taking a jewelled ring from his own fifth finger, slipped it onto Geoffrey's.

Lord Davenport stepped forwards and shook Geoffrey's hand as Charlotte bounded up the steps and threw her arms around his neck. She had kissed him full on the lips before either of them realized that silence had fallen around them. She stepped back quickly and glanced into the Prince's horrified face.

"Good G.o.d! And in public too!" The Prince threw up his hands as his tone left the crowd in no doubt as to his thoughts on that type of activity.

Geoffrey rushed to explain as he whipped the cap from Charlotte's head and her golden blonde tresses fell down her back.

Lord Davenport gasped out his own horror.

"GAH! A woman! Riding in my race, no less!"

Geoffrey grinned as he gave Charlotte a squeeze.

"And winning, if I remember rightly."

Lord Davenport appeared to swell as he gawped down Charlotte.

"I'm afraid that she cannot have won. Women are not allowed to ride in my race." He spoke with finality in his tone, but Charlotte tilted her face up to him.

"Where does it say that in your rule book? I noticed that it said a lot of things that riders can and cannot do but I don't remember there being any mention of no women riders."

Lord Davenport wiped his brow with his handkerchief.

"There doesn't have to be a written rule. Women cannot complete my course. It's impossible. They would never have the strength necess..." His voice trailed off as Charlotte pursed her lips up at him, but he soon gathered himself again. "Well, the fact that you accomplished it is irrelevant; you still cannot be declared the winner. Subst.i.tute riders are strictly forbidden and Geoffrey Talbot's name is listed as Lightning's rider. I am afraid that you cannot win that argument however much you try to disguise it."

Charlotte frowned and shook her head as she moved over to where Lord Davenport had laid the book of registration.

"I agree entirely with what you say, except in the small matter of the entry being for Geoffrey Talbot." She opened the listings and ran her fingertip down the page. She stopped at the name Lightning and moved her finger across the paper.

Lord Davenport and the Prince peered over her shoulder. Unable to stop himself, Geoffrey craned his neck to see the listing too. Lord Davenport let out a startled gasp. The Prince roared with laughter and stepped back. He thumped Geoffrey on his back with the flat of his hand, leaving him wheezing in pain as the Prince spoke.

"You're a canny fellow with an even cannier wife! Well done, Sir. Well done indeed!" He bent to a large velvet purse on the table as he ushered Charlotte forwards. "My Lords, Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the winner of this year's Davenport steeplechase. Mrs. Charlotte Talbot." He dropped the purse into Charlotte's outstretched hand and walked back over to his attendants.

The crowd roared their approval as Geoffrey picked his wife up about the waist and twirled her around. Seconds later other men scrambled to look at the book. Several appeared on the point of seizure as they stared at the name on the page. Two took one look at Charlotte and disappeared quickly into the crowd. Others came forward, colour high in their cheeks as they bowed before the triumphant pair.

Geoffrey looked curiously at them as they shuffled uncomfortably. One was brave enough to speak.

"I'll have my majordomo bring you the keys within the week. I a.s.sume that you will allow me to take personal items with me."

Charlotte gulped guiltily, but a second man spoke before she could respond.

"My solicitors will be in touch, madam. The estate manager will have to be informed. Please let me know what you wish to do with the staff. I wouldn't want them to become embroiled in my affairs and find themselves suddenly homeless. I hope that you will give me a month to re-house or find other positions for them."

Geoffrey frowned down at his wife.

"What on earth are they talking about? What have you gone and done now?"

Charlotte put her hands on her hips and glared back up at him.

"I did what you suggested and placed a few bets. It's not my fault that they put up their houses and estates as collateral. I was only offering the blasted diamond and asked that they come up with something of similar value. I wasn't expecting their property to cover their wagers."

The first man took in a long breath.

"I have nothing else of that kind of value and I always honour my debts. You will have to accept it."

The second man had paled so much that he looked as though he was about to faint. His voice quavered.

"I always honour my vowels too. I only ask that you let my mother remain in the Dower house. I have nowhere else to put her." His request ended on a squeak.

Charlotte gasped as other men lined up behind the first two, offering their keys or notes for their solicitors. She pressed her hand against her breastbone to her still her heaving chest.

"Oh G.o.d! What have I done? Is there no way around this? I swear that I only did it to get back at Rookwood for attempting to kill my husband. You were all known to have been his friends. I a.s.sumed that you were all in on his plans to win the race no matter what he had to do." She wrung her hands and looked up at Geoffrey in desperation.

Geoffrey was aghast.

"Good grief woman! I don't want their property. I don't even want their money. You have to give it all back. You cannot take all this from them."

The pale man shook his head.